This time the Russian bear is not in a fight with a bunch of small, helpless states supported by vague promises from the British Empire. This time the Ruskies are not in a fight with the Germans. This time they aren't poisoning men in secret under the table and trying to usurp governments by slipping toxins in their wine and employing the subterfuge of old women. This time you Russian sonsabitches are in a fight with a bunch of little states who know what you are, and are supported by the United States of America and NATO. You're not fooling anybody.
This time old toothless and worn out bear you fight with people who are free, who are gonna stay that way, and who are friends with nations who can do more than just beat you in a fight. We can wipe out your very reason for existing as government.
I got nothing against the Russian people (as a matter of fact I got a real affection for the Russian people going way back to the Soviet Union), nothing even against the Russian troops (used to know some Soviet troops and officers, corresponded with and liked em), but 'ware your asses Russian leaders. Cause if you don't then we'll be wearing your asses. I got no love for you animals and neither do a lot of folks, including those that surround ya, and where I come from we hang high sonasbitches like you, and we wear pelts made out of bears who think they are matches for men. We got a whole continent full of bear-rugs to prove it. You're not nearly as tough as you think you are, and your hide is not nearly as thick as you've deluded yourself into thinking. A thousand little bees all around you and your hairy hide is stung and crippled. A single determined, screaming, fighting eagle in your face and you're blind and helpless. We don't forget our friends, and we don't start fights with punk ass bullies, but we sure as hell finish em.
We got time, we're patient, and we know how to cripple and kill and skin wild beasts like you.
So, your day is coming grizzly men.
Your day is coming.
And when that day comes, we're gonna finish you for good this time, and your people are gonna turn and eat what ever is left. And then we're gonna set them free too.
Until then sleep well in the knowledge that we're out there waiting for bear.
Cause we are.
body
1 comment:
The other point to consider is that, while the Georgians clearly overreacted vis-a'-vis south Ossetia, the ethnic Russians there were probably deliberately provoking and stoking the situation. [Or... perhaps... people who dressed up and spoke, look, and acted like ethnic Russians. Of course, that would mean Spetznaz...]
Note I say probably, not definitely... because to be definite would imply a level of knowledge and certainty that I do not possess. *But*... the timing (Olympic games) and the region (remember the pipeline travels thru there) have all the indicators, to my reckoning, of a well-laid trap.
Sure, it could have just "happened." Bumbling forward, the way WWI just "happened." Rigid adherence to protocols and treaties waiting for the next fellow to blink, etc. Possible.
But I don't think so.
And even WWI had a prime mover - France. It was France's desire for revenge against Germany for the Franco-Prussian wars that caused the dual Alliance with Russia; it was Russia's interest in the Balkans and specifically the Serbs (Orthodox church believers, speakers of an almost identical Slavic tongue, members of the same Slavic race type) that caused them to use Alfred Redl as a spy (member of the lesser nobility, a homosexual subject to coercion, expensive tastes, noble but without money, and holding the position of chief of counterintelligence for the Austro-Hungarian empire, and privy to the actual War Plans).
So France had the motive; and Russia had the intelligence - which it shared with the Serbs - which is why the invasion lasted so long and was so expensive in blood and treasure; the Serbs knew when, where, and in what strength the Austrian Army would deploy, and with what strategic, operational, and campaign objectives. Therefore all that was left was to resist / defeat in detail.
Austria-Hungary won by brute force, not by battlefield finesse / maneuver.
It's all detailed in "A Feast of Panthers."
And knowing that that is how Russia operates and empowers its proxies, and has done so for centuries, it seems to me to be logical to consider this a trap.
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For your blog. Note that the author - Mr Gorbachev - certainly has the requisite insight.
Bottom line: We, in the west, used Georgia as a foil - and it is a fact that the US Army has over 100 military trainers there, now. The Georgians attacked the South Ossetians perceiving they had a blank check from the West.
Note that the blank check policy from Berlin to Vienna is what caused WWI.
From the Russian perspective, they have saved ethnic Russians in South Ossetia from genocide by the Georgians.
If an enclave of Americans were being shot at by Mexicans, would we not invade to protect those lives? Like we did the American students held at the International School in Grenada? Oh wait - we did invade... so we can but they can't? This is geographically contiguous to them and Grenada wasn't nor is it a US territory or protectorate...
At first I was upset as well, but I understand where the Russians are coming from here.
-----Original Message-----
Washington Post
August 12, 2008
Pg. 13
A Path To Peace In The Caucasus
By Mikhail Gorbachev
MOSCOW -- The past week's events in South Ossetia are bound to shock and pain anyone. Already, thousands of people have died, tens of thousands have been turned into refugees, and towns and villages lie in ruins. Nothing can justify this loss of life and destruction. It is a warning to all.
The roots of this tragedy lie in the decision of Georgia's separatist leaders in 1991 to abolish South Ossetian autonomy. This turned out to be a time bomb for Georgia's territorial integrity. Each time successive Georgian leaders tried to impose their will by force -- both in South Ossetia and in Abkhazia, where the issues of autonomy are similar -- it only made the situation worse. New wounds aggravated old injuries.
Nevertheless, it was still possible to find a political solution. For some time, relative calm was maintained in South Ossetia. The peacekeeping force composed of Russians, Georgians and Ossetians fulfilled its mission, and ordinary Ossetians and Georgians, who live close to each other, found at least some common ground.
Through all these years, Russia has continued to recognize Georgia's territorial integrity. Clearly, the only way to solve the South Ossetian problem on that basis is through peaceful means. Indeed, in a civilized world, there is no other way.
The Georgian leadership flouted this key principle.
What happened on the night of Aug. 7 is beyond comprehension. The Georgian military attacked the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali with multiple rocket launchers designed to devastate large areas. Russia had to respond. To accuse it of aggression against "small, defenseless Georgia" is not just hypocritical but shows a lack of humanity.
Mounting a military assault against innocents was a reckless decision whose tragic consequences, for thousands of people of different nationalities, are now clear. The Georgian leadership could do this only with the perceived support and encouragement of a much more powerful force. Georgian armed forces were trained by hundreds of U.S. instructors, and its sophisticated military equipment was bought in a number of countries. This, coupled with the promise of NATO membership, emboldened Georgian leaders into thinking that they could get away with a "blitzkrieg" in South Ossetia.
In other words, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was expecting unconditional support from the West, and the West had given him reason to think he would have it. Now that the Georgian military assault has been routed, both the Georgian government and its supporters should rethink their position.
Hostilities must cease as soon as possible, and urgent steps must be taken to help the victims -- the humanitarian catastrophe, regretfully, received very little coverage in Western media this weekend -- and to rebuild the devastated towns and villages. It is equally important to start thinking about ways to solve the underlying problem, which is among the most painful and challenging issues in the Caucasus -- a region that should be approached with the greatest care.
When the problems of South Ossetia and Abkhazia first flared up, I proposed that they be settled through a federation that would grant broad autonomy to the two republics. This idea was dismissed, particularly by the Georgians. Attitudes gradually shifted, but after last week, it will be much more difficult to strike a deal even on such a basis.
Old grievances are a heavy burden. Healing is a long process that requires patience and dialogue, with non-use of force an indispensable precondition. It took decades to bring to an end similar conflicts in Europe and elsewhere, and other long-standing issues are still smoldering. In addition to patience, this situation requires wisdom.
Small nations of the Caucasus do have a history of living together. It has been demonstrated that a lasting peace is possible, that tolerance and cooperation can create conditions for normal life and development. Nothing is more important than that.
The region's political leaders need to realize this. Instead of flexing military muscle, they should devote their efforts to building the groundwork for durable peace.
Over the past few days, some Western nations have taken positions, particularly in the U.N. Security Council, that have been far from balanced. As a result, the Security Council was not able to act effectively from the very start of this conflict. By declaring the Caucasus, a region that is thousands of miles from the American continent, a sphere of its "national interest," the United States made a serious blunder. Of course, peace in the Caucasus is in everyone's interest. But it is simply common sense to recognize that Russia is rooted there by common geography and centuries of history. Russia is not seeking territorial expansion, but it has legitimate interests in this region.
The international community's long-term aim could be to create a sub-regional system of security and cooperation that would make any provocation, and the very possibility of crises such as this one, impossible. Building this type of system would be challenging and could only be accomplished with the cooperation of the region's countries themselves. Nations outside the region could perhaps help, too -- but only if they take a fair and objective stance. A lesson from recent events is that geopolitical games are dangerous anywhere, not just in the Caucasus.
The writer was the last president of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 and is president of the Gorbachev Foundation, a Moscow think tank. A version of this article, in Russian, will be published in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper tomorrow.
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